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Mobile game features character resembling pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was shot down and detained in Pakistan
The Indian Air Force on Wednesday launched an air-combat mobile game featuring a character resembling a pilot shot down and captured by Pakistan during recent heightened tensions between the neighboring nations.
The character, who looks like handlebar-mustached wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, can be seen at the start of the single player game’s teaser trailer released by the air force on Twitter.
“I fly deep into enemy territory, and strike fear in the heart of my enemies,” the text of the trailer said as it showed shots of fighter jets shooting at enemy targets.
Abhinandan in February was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani aircraft over the disputed region of Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan since 1947 and where they have fought two wars. The incident followed a massive suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian troops on Feb. 14, with the attack perpetrated by a local separatist but claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group.
Indian warplanes then launched a strike inside Pakistani territory, sparking an incursion by Islamabad that led to Abhinandan’s downing and capture.
The Android and iOS-based mobile game Indian Air Force: A Cut Above will let players fly different aircraft and complete various missions. The authorities hope to the game will spur India’s youth to join the defense forces, which now compete with the fast-expanding private sector for top talent.